Nothing like an afternoon hanging out with some of your best girlfriends!
Since all of us everyone except for me are teachers, our little group has always used the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as good opportunity to meet up and spend the day together. Last year, it was an outing a The Cheesecake Factory. This year, the gals came to my place!
Everyone brought a little something to contribute to our day, so we had plenty of healthy snacks to munch on throughout the afternoon. I loaded up on lots of fresh veggies…seriously, what is it about veggies all pre-cut and out on a platter that makes them that much more appealing?
Along with our veggies, we also had some blue corn chips and a fresh batch of my favorite Healthier Guacamole, courtesy of Joelle.
A couple hours later, it was time for the main course and holy cow, was it good.
My friend Eileen made a big batch of vegetarian chili which was seriously delicious. (I’m impatiently anxiously awaiting for the recipe!).
I topped my chili with a little sprinkle of shredded cheese and had a piece of bread with butter on the side, thanks to Kathryn’s pit stop at Panera.
Everyone was so generous in contributing today, and you want to know what I contributed…?
Lemon slices for our water. Hostess fail.
After finishing our chili, we spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out and watching Water for Elephants.
My friends Eileen and Rachel read the book and they both said that the book was better (when is it not?) but it was a pretty good movie. Probably wouldn’t have been one of my first choices, but that’s why friends are cool. They get you to watch movies you might not normally pick. 
Now that the girls have left it’s about time to figure out what’s for dinner…I’m hungrier than I expected after all those snacks today. We’ll have to see what I can come up with!
Question for the Evening:
What do you typically find to be better: the book or the movie?
I’m far overdo to make some chili.
I always prefer the book. I don’t know why they have to make a movie from every best seller. I read Water For Elephants but haven’t seen the movie. I heard it was only okay in comparison.
Sounds like a fun way to spend a day off!
I’m usually a fan of the book rather than the movie, but I keep an open-mind & don’t just ASSUME that the book will be better. I read Water for Elephants, but haven’t seen the movie yet!
I usually like the book better just because it has so much more detail, but I have always enjoyed seeing the movies as well. I have to say that Water for Elephants was a much better book than the movie. The movie was good but that is one that I definitely a better book.
I’m almost always a bigger fan of the book than the movie. I always like to see/read both though because it’s interesting to see how they are different or alike. I really want to see Water for Elephants!
I typically like the book better!
I’m almost always a bigger fan of the book as opposed to the movie. I haven’t seen “Water for Elephants”, but the book is really good.
I just made chilli the other day. Your friend’s chilli looks delicious! I usually find the book better. In high school, I remember reading and watching a couple of books/movies by Jane Austin and always found things in the book that I felt the movie messed up. The nice thing about books is that the author and you are creating the picture and using your imagination. In a movie, the work has already been done for you.
What a fun afternoon! That chili does look pretty amazing. If she happens to share the recipe, I hope you share it on here. :)
That chili looks AMAZING!
I’m pretty sure the book is always better than the movie. I would imagine it’s much easier to describe emotions/atmospheres with words rather than facial expressions and music.
i almost always love the book better!!!
i thought the movie was really good but I also read the book and thought that the book was better! you should read it because there are some differences that are worth reading it to find out.
I usually like the book best, but I can’t lie, I think I liked the movie of The Notebook even more than the book! Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling are incredible in their roles and I still cry everytime I watch it!
of course the book is always better because it always has more detail .. but I actually thought “The Help” as a movie was pretty darn close and maybe JUST as good as the book!
The books are always better! FOR SURE! …..I am wanting to read & see Water for Elephants! I should read the book before I watch the movie though, need to get on that!
The book was WAY better than the movie!
Definitely books! I like details too much to skip them in movies. If you haven’t read or seen the movie The Help yet, it’s a must!
That chili looks so good!! Maybe you can share the recipe when you get it?
I read the book, which was one of my favorites ever. But I haven’t watched the movie, mostly because the book was amazing and I am afraid the movie will let me down.
And what’s really weird is that I just had this conversation (book vs movie) with my mom about Water for Elephants!! Weird!
Looks delicious, but where were the sweets? The book is always better than the movie… Especially in the case of all the Harry Potter movies.
Almost always the book! I agree with Water for Elephants, I also liked the book more. I haven’t seen The Help yet but am curious to see my thoughts there since I have heard great things about the movie.
OOOoooo I love me some chili! I usually like to read the book first, but I’m a sucker for movies!
I’m really horrible at reading books..so I guess I’d have to say movies. I’m trying to change that habit and read more books, though!
I know readers always swear the book is better but I have never been much of a reader (although i’d like to become one!). Therefore id have to say the movie.
I thought the book Water for Elephants was better than the movei, but the movie was not that bad. I like reading the book first, then the movie. I do find the book better in most cases. Especially with “My Sister’s Keeper” and “The Last Song.”
“The Help” was great with both the book and the movie. It was the first movie I have seen that keeps with the book with slight changes not big ones.
I’m an avid “the book is better” chick. I have a vivid imagination so it kind of runs away with me as I’m reading :)
I read the book and watched the movie as well :)! I really thought that the movie did a great job (at least better than others) at portraying the book. I see how you could get kind of lost though without having read the book.
always though book > movie :) Because I can “film” my own scenes in my head the way I would like lol.
I’ve never read Water for Elephants but I loved the movie! Most of the time, the book ALWAYS trumps the movie- I like being able to imagine how the characters are in my head if that makes sense? Also it’s difficult for a movie to capture all the minor details (which are usually the most engaging)!
I agree Water For Elephants was a better book than movie. Movies usually leave a lot of parts out from the book, so if you read the book before seeing the movie it feels like some things are missing.
book book book boooooooook!!! :-)
oh, gosh. I ALWAYS find the book better… I don’t think there are any exceptions to the rule for me. I typically promise myself I won’t get my hopes up about any movie made from a book blowing my socks off. I usually can enjoy the movie if I go into it expecting for it to be underwhelming in comparison. :)
I’m certain I’d think books are always better if I had the patience to read even 1/10th of the movies I want to see. I didn’t have very high expectations for Water for Elephants either, so it was definitely better than I expected!
I really want to see Water For Elephants! I heard that it was good. Typically, I find that the books are better than the movies. That is definitely the case with Nicholas Sparks. I find that his books are so much better than the movies. The movies are usually good but the book goes into more details obviously. I was so disappointed with the movie version of Nights in Roadanthe. The book was incredible and the movie was terrible.
It’s so great you guys still meet up! I haven’t seen Water for Elephants, but everyone has been telling me to watch it.
I think they did a great job with the Harry Potter movies – of COURSE they aren’t as good as the books, but they were still excellent!
I always love the book best, but there have been a few movie adaptations lately that I’ve really enjoyed, especially Something Borrowed & The Help!
I really wanted to see that movie, but the hubby doesn’t want to watch it with me lol. You had the right idea! I need to get the girls together!
I love Reese Witherspoon as an actress but Robert Pattinson annoys me because of the Twilight craze. :(
I usually watch the movie first- then I can picture the actors that played those roles in my mind as the physical appearances of the characters. Books in my mind are like little movies.
I’ve seen Water for the Elephants yesterday evening and I loved it. Although I didn’t read the book(s). Robert Pattinson played his role magnificent.